State Of Grace
by Girls.Named.Sydney.Problems
Summary: What happens when Aria and Ezra are discovered and Aria is sent away to an all girls boarding school? I'll tell you what: Ezra writes a book about their love, it becomes a best seller, and (while on his book tour) he stumbles into Aria's new English class to discuss said new book. Can you say awkward? I own nothing.
1. The Intervention

**_Hey guys You are going to hate me for posting yet another story that I don't have time to keep up with, but c'est la vie! This was inspired by a dream (I have very inspiring dreams, I'll have you know). I'll try my hardest to keep up with this one. Don't forget to follow me on twitter NightmaresD for exclusive content, updates, and interactions with yours truly! R&R!_**

**Aria's POV:**

_"You are not going to tell me who I am going to love!" I screamed at my parents in the living room of the place I formerly called home._

_"Love? You're 17! Last week you told me you loved Jared Leto! You don't know what love is!" my father screamed back._

This morning had been perfect. It had been exactly one year since I had met the love of my life. Sure, we had problems like any other couple, except our problems were more legal and less about who forgot to notice a certain someone's new haircut. This morning had been a state of grace. It was this afternoon that had gone to hell.

When I came home from Ezra's apartment to get ready for our dinner tonight I had walked into an inquisition of massive proportions. I walked in the door to see my parents in the living room with my principal. My heart stopped, as anyone's would. What principal makes house calls?

"Mom? Dad? What is going on? Why is Principal Greene here?" I asked nervously as I fondled my car keys, looking to make a quick getaway.

My father had a pained expression on his face. The kind a dad gets when he is disappointed in you and is equally angry with you. The face that could cut you down with just one look.

"Aria…" my mother began, but she could't finish her sentence.

I was so confused and scared. The only reckless thing I had done since I had come home from iceland was fall in love with my english teacher. In my defense, I didn't know who he was when I met him. That is the only thing I could think of that would warrant an intervention like this.

"Where's Mike?" I asked nervously.

"He is staying with Noel at the Kahn's cabin for the weekend," my dad hissed.

A tear streaked my cheek, but I brushed it away quickly.

"Aria," Principal Greene began, "We are here to talk to you about Mr. Fitz."

"What about him?" I asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb Aria! We raised you better than this!" my father screamed.

I jumped three feet in the air. My father never raised his voice. They knew. I knew they knew. Nothing else would get this kind of reaction.

"Whatever you think you know, you don't!" I cried. I wrapped my arms around my body. My fingers fell upon the tattoo I had gotten of Ezra's name about 6 months ago. It was placed on the side of ribcage, where Ezra's hands rested when he held me. It comforted me now.

"What I think is you have been engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a member of the faculty," Principal Greene stated calmly.

I said nothing. What could I say? Sorry I fell in love? No. I would never be sorry.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Nothing about our love is inappropriate!" I sobbed.

"Aria, you're not in love. He is 6 years older than you. He was your teacher. You are in _high school_," my mother said coldly.

"You are not going to tell me who I am going to love!" I screamed at my parents in the living room of the place I formerly called home.

"Love? You're 17! Last week you told me you loved Jared Leto! You don't know what love is!" my father screamed back.

"I think we all need to take a breathe. Aria, I think you need to call Mr. Fitz," Principal Greene said rationally.

"Is he going to get in trouble?" I whispered.

"This isn't illegal. You are 17 and of age to consent to this relationship. However, he was your teacher and that is grounds for his dismissal."

I nodded and pulled out my phone. I dialed the number I knew by heart.

"Hello beautiful!" Ezra answered. I knew he was smiling. I was about to break his heart.

"Ezra…" my voice cracked. A loud sob escaped my lips.

"What is wrong?" he asked immediately, switching to protective boyfriend mode.

"I can't do this anymore…" I cried as I spoke the words. My parents heads shot up.

"Aria, what are you saying?" he asked worriedly.

"We were wrong to think this would work. I am sorry. Goodbye."

I could hear him yelling for me as I hung up.

I looked at the "adults" in the room. All three were surprised by what I had just done.

"Ezra is a good person. He loves his job and doesn't deserve to lose it because we fell in love. I will leave. I will go to boarding school. I won't come back and I won't have contact with him, just don't fire him."

"Is that okay with you two?" Greene asked Ella and Byron.

"Yes," they both said.

Greene nodded and got up to leave. The door shut behind him with a thud and I jumped.

"I assume you've already arranged for me to go somewhere?" I asked, knowing they were sending me away before I even entered the house.

"Saint Mary's School for Young Women," my mother said coldly.

"I'll start packing…" I said as I stared dejectedly at my cell phone.

"You leave tomorrow."

"What are you telling Mike?" I asked quietly.

"He thinks being here is too much for you, with Ali and everything," my mother said, as if this was totally normal.

I nodded. They began to leave to room, but I had one more question.

"Who told you?"

M father passed me a note from his pocket and they proceeded to exit. I unfolded the piece of paper and inhaled sharply when I saw the note. It was a picture of Ezra and I kissing in his apartment.

The note read:

_Maybe you should take a look into your daughter's extracurricular activities…_

_A_

I remembered that night. Things were pretty heated. Ezra had just gotten out of the shower and I was in a pair of cheeky shorts and a bandeau. It had been right after school had gotten out. I told my parents I was sleeping at Spencer's so I could sneak over to Ezra's. The sheer top I had been wearing earlier had been flung away as Ezra tackled me to the couch.

***Flashback***

_"Hey sexy…" I said as I spotted Ezra exiting the bathroom in nothing but a white towel._

_I waltzed over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I placed a light kiss on his lips, but that wasn't enough. In a split second I went from the floor to the wall. Ezra's chiseled was pressed flat against mine and I could feel his manhood pressing into my core. I moaned into his mouth and reached for his towel, successfully ridding him of the offended cloth._

_Ezra pulled away and began kissing my jawline and neck._

_"This isn't fair… You get to see me, but I can't see you…" he whispered lustfully._

_I pushed him away and began walking to the couch. I lifted my sheer top over my head revealing my bandeau-clad chest. A smile cracked my face when I saw his member get harder._

_"You are so mean to me sometimes…" he whispered in my ear before tickling my sides and kissing my neck._

_I giggled to myself as I leaned up and pushed down my shorts that left little to the imagination. They dropped to the floor and I was left standing in nothing but my thong._

_"This is mean?" I asked wickedly._

_Without saying a word, Ezra pushed me over the arm of the couch and we landed with a thud on the soft leather. His hands traced my body as if I was Aphrodite. He kissed every inch of me with such care and adoration that I almost felt sad for everyone else who didn't get to feel this kind of passion._

***End of Flashback***

I folded the paper up and placed it in my purse. I noticed my phone light up with a text. I pulled it out and saw it was from a blocked number. My heart dropped when I realized who it was from. I took a deep breathe and opened up the message.

_Goodbye._

_-A_


	2. The Letter

**_I got inspired to write another chapter for this story. You all keep asking if I abandoned The Deadliest Sin, Friends Without Benefits, etc and I am here to tell that NO I HAVE NOT! I get super busy so what I have started doing is writing the stories in my note book instead of on my computer, that way I can write wherever I am. It just takes a few weeks to get a chapter together. I am not loving what I have for FWB so I am rewriting it. I will let you guys know if I abandon a story, so until you get a message from me just assume I haven't stopped writing! I hope you like this. It is one of my favorite chapters I have written and I think you'll see why..._**

_I folded the paper up and placed it in my purse. I noticed my phone light up with a text. I pulled it out and saw it was from a blocked number. My heart dropped when I realized who it was from. I took a deep breathe and opened up the message._

_Goodbye._

_A_

**Aria's POV:**

Tears poured down my cheeks as I read the text message. _Goodbye._

This was all A's fault! I ran upstairs, past my parents whispering outside their door, into my room and slammed the door behind me. I collapsed in sobs on my bed, choking on tears as I tried to calm down. But that wasn't the kind of crying I was doing. This was the kind of crying that was so fast and scary and out of control that you can't stop, no matter how much you try. It is the kind of crying that makes you gasp for air because you are hyperventilating so fast that you aren't actually breathing.

I pulled out my phone and opened a new group message to the girls.

_My parents found out about Ezra. They are sending me away. I need you._

I threw my phone across the room, to bothering to wait for their response. I knew they would be on their way soon. A few minutes later, I heard the doorbell ring. I cringe, wishing I had told them to sneak in through the back door.

I hear my parents answer the door, but they don't even get a chance to turn the girls away. I can hear Hanna say, "How dare you send her away!"

No sooner did she say it, did she appear in my doorway with Spencer and Emily standing behind her. They carefully enter the room and lock the door behind themselves. There is a banging on my door as my father yells for them to leave, but we just ignore him and soon enough he just stops.

I am curled into a ball, knees to chest, on my bay window bench sobbing enough saltwater to fill the sea. My makeup was streaked black down my cheeks and my clothes were wrinkled.

"Aria…?" one of the girls said tentatively from the door. I must've looked worse than I thought if they were taking that tone.

I pulled myself together (rather pathetically) and strode to my closet pulling out all my suitcases and my old trunk from sleep-away camp.

"You guys need to help me pack," I said simply.

I dragged everything to their feet and moved to my dresser where my iPod was docked. I pressed play on the playlist Ezra had made me about a month after we started dating. A sharp pain tore through my heart when the first song to come on was _Happiness_. I took a deep breath and yanked open the top drawer. I removed a few key items before turning to the girls who were looking at my with intense concern.

"Hanna, you handle my clothes. You know how to fold everything," I told her coldly.

I then moved to my bookcase and removed a couple books, trinkets, and scraps of paper.

"Spencer, back up everything on the selves. Organize the books by alphabetical genre, then alphabetical by author's last name."

Finally, I moved to my closet and pulled out a couple bags and boxes. I dragged them over to my bed and dumped everything I had collected onto the comforter.

"Emily, bring the trunk over here."

I started organizing everything on my bed when I realized the girls were just staring at me.

"For the love of God, will you please just help me pack!" I sobbed loudly.

I seemed to shake them because they all jumped and began their assigned tasks. Emily came over to me cautiously and said, "What are you doing?"

"I need you to take this trunk home with you and keep it until next week. I will call you with my address and whatnot in a couple days," I said absentmindedly as I continued to organize the items.

"Aria?" she asked softly.

"What?" I snapped, still not taking my eyes off my bed.

"Aria," she said again, this time stilling my hands. I looked up into her eyes and completely lost it. I broke down and fell to the floor. She caught me and held me close while I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. I felt two more bodies encase me while I cried. After a good long while of crying I sat up and wiped my tears.

"Can you guys please just help me pack?" I asked quietly, twisting my hands in my lap.

"Of course," Spencer said.

Hanna kissed my cheek while Spencer and Emily hugged me. Then they all got up and went to complete the tasks I had saddled them with.

"So what are we doing exactly?" Emily asked.

I waited a beat before answering. "It is my Ezra box. I never thought I would need one…"

I could feel her eyes on me, but I refused to cry anymore. There would be time for that later.

"Look, everything is organized. I just need you to put it in the trunk and then mail it to me in a week. I don't want to risk _them _finding it."

"I can do that," she responded.

I smiled gratefully and went to my desk. I opened a fresh piece of letter parchment and began to write a letter to Ezra:

_Ezra, my love, I am so sorry that this is what we have come to. It was never my intention that when I left the apartment it would be the last time I saw you. _

_I cannot tell you why I did what I did, but I can tell you it was the hardest thing I have ever done. It is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life and I am confident it will be my biggest regret._

_What we have is larger than life. What we are is so much more than two souls combine. We are the sun and the stars. Our love burns brighter than any earthly thing we could find. You are my life. But I need you to move on. I need you to forget me, but do so remembering that I will never forget you and I hope you never forget me._

_I have never felt safer than when I was in your arms. I hope you find solace after what I have done and I hope you find someone who can love you in ways I no longer can…_

_Don't try to contact me. It will hurt too much._

_My one last request from you is this: tell our story. I have read your short stories. You are so talented. Tell our story._

_Never forget, happiness damn destroys you, breaks your faith to pieces on the floor. So you tell yourself that's enough for now. Happiness has a violent roar. _

_I will always love you._

_Your B26…_

Black tears dripped onto the page as I signed the letter with something only he would know. He needed to know this was from me. I folded the paper into an envelope with shaky hands. I inscribed his name on the front in cursive and sealed it with a kiss.

I looked at the clock and realized it was pretty late. I looked at the girls who were watching me from my bed. It appeared they had finished hours ago and were waiting for me to finish my letter.

I sighed and wiped my tears away. I got up an walked over to them. They all sat up straight, expecting something, but I didn't know what. I handed the letter to Spencer.

"Could you please give this to Ezra tomorrow after I leave?" I asked quietly.

Spencer carefully took the letter and held it in her hands. She looked at the letter, to the girls, to me. She nodded carefully and slipped it into her bag.

"Aria… what happened?" Hanna asked.

"A happened. I was a fool to believe this wouldn't happen and I was an even bigger fool to think my parents would react in any other way but this. They are sending me away to boarding school."

The girls had pained expressions on their faces as they tried to keep their emotions in. I could tell thy were sad for me, but they were also sad for themselves. They didn't want to tell me that part, but I knew.

"I think you guys need to go now. I have a big day tomorrow…" I said with disconnect.

"Don't shut us to Aria," Spencer scolded.

"I'm not shutting you out. I just haven't processed anything yet. I will call you guys soon letting you know… whatever it is that I know."

The girls nodded and left. I fell upon my bed and shut my eyes, instantly falling asleep. Something died in me today. The part of me that was capable of love and emotion was gone. It died the moment I walked into the house and I cant imagine it ever coming back.

**A/N:**

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	3. The School

**This is kind of a filler, but you need it because shit is gonna get real in the next few chapters. R & R!**

**Also, Spencer's piece is a few days after Aria has left, whereas Aria's piece picks up the day she leaves so there is about a three day gap between the two POVs. Sorry if that is confusing.**

Spencer drove up to Mr. Fitz's apartment building and put her blue Prius in park. She stared out at the building trying to work up the courage to get out of her car and break her teacher's heart. The day was grey and overcast, as it had been since Aria left. No one had had any contact with her as far as she knew. Spencer had been hoping for some kind of contact, a text or email at least, if only to ask about the letter. But no. There was silence; white noise; radio silence. Spencer had waited 3 days, but she couldn't put this off any longer. Ezra deserved to get the letter.

She stepped out of her car, took a deep breath, and strode towards the building. She swung open the door and walked over to the elevator jabbing the button 3 times. After a minute the doors swung open and a young guy walked out and bumped into her.

"Sorry!" He said immediately, steadying her by her shoulders.

Their eyes met and Spencer's jaw dropped. The man had gorgeous light blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He couldn't be older than 23 or 24.

"I-it's fine..." Spencer stuttered.

The man nodded and continued to the door. Spencer came to her senses and got in the elevator. Refocusing herself on the task at hand. The envelope weighed heavily in her bag. It held answers that weren't here to have, but she desperately needed them anyway.

The doors opened on the 3rd floor and she slowly exited. 3B was just a few steps away. She drew them out, but quickly arrived at the door. She took a deep breath. Almost immediately Mr. Fitz opened the door in nothing but a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants.

"Spencer!" He exclaimed, clearly startled and not expecting her.

"Hi..." She said awkwardly.

"Uh, come in?" He offered, clearly confused by her presence.

She entered and took in his apartment, while he went to put on a shirt. The apartment was _so_ Aria. Aria... She thought about her missing friend. She slid her hand into her purse and withdrew the letter.

"So, uh, what can I do for you?" Ezra asked awkwardly.

"I just came to give you this..." She said quietly.

He was confused, but took the letter. Confusion snapped into shock when he recognized the handwriting on the envelope.

"Did she give you this?" He whispered. A pained expression on his face.

"Before she left. Yes."

"Where is she?" He demanded.

"I don't know. She hasn't talked to anyone since she left either. She told me to tell you to just read it."

Ezra ripped open the letter and Spencer turned to leave, but Ezra told her no. Stay. Spencer took a seat on her teachers infamous leather couch. The scene of many of the stories Aria would gush about at their sleepovers. Spencer tried not to think about the gory details.

She turned her attention to Ezra. Is face was stone cold. She watched him read the letter a few more times until he began to read it aloud.

_Ezra, my love, I am so sorry that this is what we have come to. It was never my intention that when I left the apartment it would be the last time I saw you._

_I cannot tell you why I did what I did, but I can tell you it was the hardest thing I have ever done. It is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life and I am confident it will be my biggest regret._

_What we have is larger than life. What we are is so much more than two souls combine. We are the sun and the stars. Our love burns brighter than any earthly thing we could find. You are my life. But I need you to move on. I need you to forget me, but do so remembering that I will never forget you and I hope you never forget me._

_I have never felt safer than when I was in your arms. I hope you find solace after what I have done and I hope you find someone who can love you in ways I no longer can…_

_Don't try to contact me. It will hurt too much._

_My one last request from you is this: tell our story. I have read your short stories. You are so talented. Tell our story._

_Never forget, happiness damn destroys you, breaks your faith to pieces on the floor. So you tell yourself that's enough for now. Happiness has a violent roar._

_I will always love you._

_Your B26…_

Spencer watched the parchment fall to the floor while Ezra made his way to a trolley of alcohol by his bookshelf. He poured two tumblers of scotch and handed one of them to Spencer, much to her surprise. She welcomed it gratefully though.

After a pregnant pause Ezra asked, "So you haven't heard from her?"

Spencer shook her head, "No. She promised to call when she was settled, but I feel like she won't at all."

"Why do you say that?" Ezra asked curiously as he nursed his drink.

"It's been three days. When I saw her before she left… she was a mess. She wouldn't talk. I think she is cutting ties with Rosewood. There's so much pain here; Ali, -A, _you_…"

"I just wish I knew what happened…" he whispered as he titled his head back and drained his glass.

"It's not my place to tell you."

Spencer finished her drink and placed the glass on the coffee table. She moved to the door and had her hand on the doorknob when she turned back around.

"Ezra?" she asked.

"What?" he asked, not breaking his gaze with his glass.

"She was broken; more broken then I've ever seen her. She still loves you. I know she does. Maybe one day she'll explain everything, but today you should just hold on to what you have of her. Write a book about how much you love her. Maybe one day it will be published and it will find her and everything will be whole again," Spencer advised.

She waited a moment for Ezra to say something back to her, but he didn't. He just sat there and wallowed. So, Spencer left. She shut the door behind her and she leaned back against it. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Aria… where are you?"

My parents hand't even come with me to my room. They pulled up the drive to the school, unloaded my bags, and said their cold goodbyes. They left me alone on the curb to fend for myself. I should've cried, but I didn't. I couldn't. I felt nothing. The principal met me at the doors and helped me bring my bags to my suite.

"You'll have three other roommates," Principal Scott said as she unlocked the door and handed me the key. "You'll meet them later. They are in class right now."

"Do you know their names?" I asked as I took in the room.

"I _do_ believe their names are Isabella, Holland, and Phoebe," she said absentmindedly. As she dragged my bags over the the empty corner of the room.

The space was large. The room was divided into four areas, each containing a bed, dresser, closet, desk, and two tables on either side of the bed. On the far side of the room was a door to the bathroom. I looked around as I went over to sit on my naked bed.

"The girls should be back in a few minutes. They know you're here and have been instructed to guide you around until you get your bearings. Here is your schedule and your student handbook. Your classes start on Monday so you have tomorrow and the weekend to find your classrooms. You have an appointment with the guidance counselor at 1 pm this afternoon."

"Wait, what? Why do I have an appointment with the counselor?" I asked, rather irritated.

"Aria, make no mistake. Your parents notified me of the reason you left your old school. Your appointment is _not _negotiable," Principal Scott told her. "If you need anything please call my office."

As soon as she left I began to unpack. I made up my bed first, then put away all my clothes, and them my books and miscellaneous stuff. I heard a dull roar in the hallway and I assumed classes had been released. I looked in her mirror and fixed up my makeup and hair. I straightened out my clothes just a moment before my new roommates came giggling in.

"Hi," I waved awkwardly.

"Hello!" one girl said with a thick English accent. "I'm Isabella, but everyone just calls me Izzie."

"Aria," she said before the girl enveloped her in a big hug. She released Aria and introduced her to the other two girls.

"This is Holland, but we call her Hollie. And this is Phoebe!"

Izzie reminded me a lot of Spencer and Hanna. She had that same stick figure and brown hair as Spencer, but her personality was _all _Hanna. Hollie was about 5'6" with long, ombred brown/blonde hair. She had a body any girl would die for (tiny stomach and waist, huge boobs). Phoebe was quiet. She was tall, 5'10", with shoulder length red hair. She wasn't skinny, but not fat either. They all wore dark eye makeup, just like me, and each had a dramatically different color of lipstick. Izzie was wearing a deep red, Hollie a deep purple, and Phoebe a light pink.

"Well, it is nice to meet you all…" said with as much enthusiasm as I could.

We stood there awkwardly for a minute.

"So, um, would one of you mind showing me around? I have an appointment with guidance at 1..." I asked, trying to make friends.

"Of course!" Izzie exclaimed before grabbing my hand and dragging me into the hall. "What shall we start with first?"

"Well, I have an appointment with the guidance counselor at 1 o'clock…"

"Ooh! What sort of naughty things have you done already? No one gets an appointment without being a real troublemaker," she teased innocently.

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Ooh, dishy. Well, here we are," Izzie said as she pointed to a door. "Here is my mobile number. Text me when you're out and we can all go get dinner. There is also a party tonight, which you are of course welcome to attend with us."

"Thanks. I will," I said as I programmed her number into my phone. She was intense, but she meant well.

She skipped off and I entered the lions den.


	4. The Change

**Hey guys! So this is the next chapter for State of Grace! I really hope you like it! I was watching Pitch Perfect while writing this and decided to do a little bit of a crossover later in the chapter. This will not be a crossover fic. A cappella is not going to be a big part of this story, but I just wanted to add something fun and different to this chapter. R&R!**

I walked into the guidance office. It was large, comforting. However, no amount of comfort would ever make me feel better about what I did to Ezra. My heart broke with every step towards Ms. Warren's office. I softly knocked in the door and heard a faint answer to enter. I walked in and saw a tight-faced woman in her late twenties angrily scribbling in a notepad behind her desk.

"Um, hello?" I asked nervously.

Her hand whipped up, telling me to wait a moment. I stopped short and stood there idly. When she was finished with her scribbling she looked up.

"Aria?"

"Um, hi... Yeah, I have an appointment," I stated awkwardly.

"Sit down. Do you know why you are here today?" She asked briskly.

"I know why I'm here. I just don't think I need to be," I retorted.

"Why do you think you are here?" She asked, cold and stone faced.

"I fell in love," I answered indignantly.

"No one cares if you fell in love, Aria. That's not the problem. What got you sent away?"

I looked away, tears welling in my eyes. She was going to make me say it.

"I fell in love... With my teacher. Are you happy?" I spat at her.

She narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips.

"I will be keeping a _very_ close eye on you Miss Montgomery. One step out of line and you will be back in my office talking about things I _know_ you don't want to talk about. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," I deadpanned before standing up to leave. I was at the door when I paused.

"Have you ever been in love?" I asked quietly.

"I'm married, not that it's any of _your_ business," she said haughtily.

I turned to face her. "That's not what I asked. I asked if you've ever been in love. Because if you had, you would no love has no bounds, no rules. You wouldn't define love by some legal contract. You wouldn't look down on me for falling for the kindest, smartest, most considerate and compassionate man I have ever known."

I left her there, at her desk, looking shocked. I walked out into the hall and saw a group of guys with lacrosse sticks walking down the hall towards me. I looked down to my phone and shot Izzie a quick text to tell her I was done with my meeting.

"Hey!" One of the laxbros called.

"Um, hi..." I said bashfully, brushing a stray hair behind my ear.

"My name is Jake. This is Max, Jason, Eric, and Chase. What's you're name?"

He seemed super friendly and not in a creepy, jock-trying-to-get-in-your-pants kind of way. In a genuine, trying-to-be-nice kind of way.

"Aria. I just transferred here from Rosewood."

"Well, Aria. As captain of the lacrosse team, it is my obligation to make sure you find your way around our wonderful school," Jake said with a megawatt smile.

"Oh, no really, that's okay..." I said a little too quickly.

"Seriously, it'd be an honor."

"Back off Jake, she's got me!" Izzie interrupted playfully.

"Hey love!" She said to Max, pecking him on the lips before bouncing her way to my side.

"So why did you decided to join our ranks?" Jason asked in a thick southern accent.

"My parents couldn't handle me. Too rebellious," I joked.

"I can dig that," Chase said creepily.

"Ar, you ready to go?" Izzie asked cheerfully, switching the conversation quickly.

I nodded and thanked Jake for the offer to show me around. I waved goodbye and followed Izzie.

"At least let me escort you to the party tonight!" Jake called after me.

Before I could deny the date, Izzie turned and said yes on my behalf. Jake seemed nice enough. He didn't seem like a date rapist (although, do they ever?) and I needed to let of some serious steam in the form of alcohol. I needed a party. Besides, he said _escort_ me. He didn't call it a date which means I wasn't obligated to spend the night with him or do any date-like things with him. I decided to let it go.

Izzie spent the next hour showing me every nook and cranny of the old school. I now knew every shortcut, make out spot, and secret passage (because this building was like Fucking Hogwarts) in the school. We rounded a corner and were back at our room.

"And that concludes our tour. The gift shop is to the left," she joked as he motioned to our room. We walked in and saw Hollie and Phoebe getting quite dressed up.

"Is homecoming tonight or something?" I asked as I looked at their dresses and heels.

"Oh no. Dinners are formal attire only affairs," Phoebe explained as she adjusted her little black dress.

"We have a strict dress code, but at least it's not uniforms. Everything is very proper here," Hollie finished.

"Oh... I don't think I'm going to fit in very well..." I said.

"Why? What kind of clothes do you have?" Izzie asked with a smile as if I was kidding. She walked over to my closet and opened it up. She pulled out my dark red fur vest and a leather miniskirt and her face contorted a bit.

"Well, you have style. But you're right, not a lot of this fits with the dress code. You're formal wear is perfect. As long as you look nice it is fine. You _will_ be the hottest girl at every party, though."

"I don't want to be the hottest girl at the party!" I said a little too quickly.

All three girls turned to look at me. Hollie's face cracked a wide smile and she pounced on me.

"ARIA HAS A BOYFRIEND!" She screamed.

The other two quickly surrounded me and started asking me a million questions.

"Guys, guys, guys!" I shouted over their squealing. "I don't have a boyfriend... Anymore."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Izzie said rubbing my arm, sensing my sadness.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

"He was older..." I trailed off, not sure what my story was.

"How much older?" asked Hollie.

"8 years."

"Ooh! You're last boyfriend was 24?! Smashing!" Izzie squealed.

I laughed half heartedly. "Yeah, well, my parents didn't think so. They found out a few days ago and sent me here. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"I'm so sorry," Phoebe consoled.

"Yes, well, it is in the past now."

"I'll say, Jake was all over her this afternoon," Izzie revealed.

The girls turned green with envy. "He is the hottest guy at school. Everyone wants him, even a few guys!" Hollie laughed.

"Well, not me. I'm still in love with my ex-boyfriend," I insisted.

"Mark my words Aria Montgomery, you'll end up dating. He doesn't like just _anyone_. I can't remember the last girl he even considered."

The girls got off my bed and continued to get ready. Phoebe plugged in her iPod and Passion Pit's "Carried Away flowed through the speakers. The chorus came along and we all started belting. Soon the song ended and Icona Pop's "I Love It" started up.

"You're an amazing singer!" Izzie yelled over the beat.

"Thanks!" I smiled. I couldn't remember the last time I was carefree, laughing and singing and dancing with friends.

"You have to join the Bellas!" Hollie yelled.

Phoebe instantly turned down the music and agreed.

"What's the Bellas?" I asked.

"A Cappella! The party tonight is actually being thrown by Jake's group. We have an all girls group and an all guys group, the Treblemakers."

"Wouldn't tryouts have been already?" I asked. It seemed fun.

"Yeah, but you're amazing. Shelby would totally let you in. We can find her at dinner and you can sing a few bars. She'll definitely let you in," Izzie assured me.

"Uh, okay. Sure, why not?" I agreed.

"Smashing! Now let's get you ready," Izzie announced.

Page break

Ultimately, I ended up wearing my red strapless that hugged my curves. I paired it with black peep toes and swept up my hair. The girls dragged me out of the room and into the hall where we ran into Jake and company. Izzie kissed Max hello and Jake slid in next to me. I saw Hollie and Phoebe give us a look and I rolled my eyes. Secretly, I loved it. This was what high school was supposed to be: boys and friends. Not stalkers and murders. I liked being a normal teenager and not Nancy Drew.

"You look stunning," he said with a blush.

"Thank you," I smiled back. "Could we talk for a minute?"

He nodded and we stepped off to the side to avoid the crowd.

"Jake, I need you to know that I just got out of an extremely intense and serious relationship..."

"Okay." He grinned.

"And I am new to the school..."

"Okay," he repeated with that same stupid smirk.

"And I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"This is the nicest letdown I've ever received," he laughed.

I was at ease. He was totally fine and it didn't seem like I'd lost a friend.

"Thanks for understanding," I said with relief.

"I still want to be friends if that's cool."

"Definitely. And I'm still counting on you to take me to this party tonight!" I smiled.

We started walking back to dinner and he agreed. We talked a bit and I teased him about being a Treble. We met back up with the girls at the table. I sat between Jake and Izzie.

"Aria! This is Shelby!" She said, pointing to a girl in front of me. "Sing her a few bars of something amazing!".

"Um, okay... How about 'You're Gonna Miss Me' by Lulu and the Lampshades?"

"Go for it," Shelby said.

I picked up the cup in front I me and started the clapping beat. "I've got my ticket for the long way 'round. Two bottle whiskey for the way and I sure would like some sweet company and I'm leaving tomorrow. What d'you say? When I'm gone, when I'm gone, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone. You're gonna miss me by my hair, you're gonna miss me everywhere, oh, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."

I slammed the cup down and looked up at Shelby with that _what now bitch_ attitude. She smirked and said, "You're in." The table cheered and Izzie hugged me.

The rest of dinner was filled with light chatter and I was able to dodge most personal questions. It felt good to be talking about frivolous things and not be worried about A. After dinner we retreated to our rooms to get ready for this party.

"What exactly is this party tonight?" I asked as I stripped off my clothes.

"The Trebles throw it for us every year. It's like a welcome back thing. Very exclusive, invite only," Phoebe explained.

"Well don't I feel special!" I joked.

"Puh-lease! Jake loves you! He is completely infatuated with you!" Hollie laughed.

"We talked and we are just friends!" I insisted.

"Sure."

I opened my closet and pulled out my leather miniskirt and black lace tank top. I was sorrowed by memories of the girls. We used to joke that we were the sisterhood of the traveling tank top. all four of us had been wearing it when we lost our virginities. I whipped out my phone and sent a text to Emily with my address and to tell her I was fine. I added that she and the girls shouldn't try to contact me. I locked the phone and tossed it on my bed. I sloped on the clothes and checked myself in the mirror.

I quickly touched up the curls in my hair with my curling wand and rimmed my eyes in charcoal. I zipped up my boots and was ready to go.

"How do I look?" I asked meekly.

"You are so HOT!" Hollie squealed! The other two girls agreed.

"Well, thank you," I laughed.

There was a knock at the door and I assumed it was Jake arriving to pick me up. I walked over and opened the door. Before me stood Jake, Max, Eric, and Jason.

"Um, wow," Jake said as he looked me over. "I'm going to have to rethink this whole _friend_ thing if you're pulling out leather," he joked.

I playfully punched his shoulder. I grabbed my bag from the hook next to the door then joined the boys in the hall.

"We are going to head out. You guys meet us later," Jake said to the 3 other guys as they entered the room to wait for their ladies.

We headed towards the party and Jake was asking me a few questions.

"So you're from Rosewood?" he asked casually. I know what he was really asking. The girls and I had been plastered all over the national news for months following Mona's stunt.

"Yes. Why don't you ask me what you're really thinking," I retorted.

"It's not like I can come out an say, 'so you had a stalker! What's that like?'" He joked.

"Look! You just did and I'm not offended. That experience is something I'm going to carry with me, but it's over and I came out the other side."

"That's a great way to look at it."

"What about you? Any stalkers in the closet?" I laughed.

"Just a crazy ex-girlfriend. You're the first girl I've really taken out since I broke up with her," he joked. "Not that this is a date or anything!"

"That's okay. It must've been traumatic. How long ago did you break up?" I asked.

"About two years. She was insane. I didn't really feel the whole dating scene after that," he revealed.

"I understand. I have no idea how I'm going to fix this whole in my heart..." I trailed off.

"I'm sorry. How long were you together?"

"We broke up on our one year anniversary."

"Well, the best way to get over someone is to drink it out!" Jake laughed, lightening the mood as we arrived at the party. It was on the other side of the field in an abandoned amphitheater. It looked a bit like Stonehenge. It was already in full swing.

"I'll go get us some drinks," Jake yelled over the music.

He left me with Shelby and a few other girls named Amy, Lena, and Amber. They all greeted me warmly and I quickly found out they were all members of the Bellas as well. They all seemed new to the group as well.

Shelby came up to me and grabbed my arms. "Oh!" I said with surprise.

"I am _so _glad that I met you!" she said with as much sincerity as a drunk high school girl can have. Then she got super close to my face and said, "I think that we're going to be really fast friends."

"Yeah, well, you seem nice..." I said trying not to make fun of her.

"Alright, I'm gonna go get another drink. This ginger needs her jiggle juice!" she said, shaking her hips and slapping her ass. "See you later!"

"Make good choices..." I called after her fruitlessly.

Craziness was going on all around me when Jake returned with a red solo cup. I took a sip without asking what it was, relieved to know it was a vodka cranberry. I gulped the whole thing down and grabbed a shot off a tray floating past us. When I knocked that back I heard cheers. I opened my eyes to see my roommates and their dates approaching.

"You're hot, you can sing, and you can drink. What aren't you good at?" Izzie laughed as she grabbed the four of us a shot of tequila.

"Hangovers," I replied with sarcasm as I did the second shot. I was already feeling it in my bones, the jitteriness of my buzz erupting inside me. Jake offered to get me another drink and I nodded gratefully. The girls scurried off to dance with their boys and I climbed the stairs to oversea the spectacle.

I saw Jake being coerced into a keg stand and taking it gracefully. As soon as he came down I could tell he was worse off than I already was.

I stepped out of the isle and into the bleachers to scan the crowd. Suddenly I heard someone calling me.

"ARIA! ARIA!" the voice yelled in an ode to Tennessee Williams.

I saw Jake hopping over the seats to get to me, obviously shit-faced. Clearly the keg stand was more impressive than I thought. I couldn't help but smile at how fucking adorable Jake was. I tried to shake the feelings I was having for him. Giving into them would make me the worst person in the world. It would be like cheating on Ezra.

"Do my eyes deceive me or are you a Barden Bella?" he asked. Yeah, he was drunk.

"No," I argued for the sake of arguing. Maybe it'll confuse him.

"You're one of those a cappella girls and I'm one of those a cappella boys and we're going to have aca-children. It's inevitable," he said matter-of-factly.

"Wow, you're really drunk right now. I don't think you're going to remember any of this!" I teased.

"No. I'm not drunk, you're just blurry," he argued. Ugh, could he be cuter?

"You okay?" I half-asked, half-laughed.

"Yeah!" he insisted as he almost fell.

"You almost fell over there? Could you pass a sobriety test right now? Can you stand up straight?" I joked, close to shitfaced as well, as I nudged him by his chest. I could feel how built he was through his blue t-shirt. Drunk Aria could have jumped his bones right there.

"Yep," he said as her leaned back and came forward every time I tapped his chest. "See how I come right back?"

He suddenly looked at me so tenderly that I lost my train of thought.

"Can I get you a drink? I'm going to get you a drink. I think you need to get on this level," he said.

"I think you already got me a drink!" I said pointing to the second cup.

He looked at the cup in surprise before giving it to me. I chugged it in a second. I was feeling _good_ as I reached for my third shot, my fuck-it drink, and knocked that back. I was _drunk_. I saw Izzie came up the stairs towards us.

"Aren't you two cute," she giggled. She was on a good level. She was on a level where she could still make rational decisions.

"No!" I slurred. "We are _friends_!"

"_Just_ friends!" Jake added before going to get another drink.

"Okay. _Sure_."

"I am serious! I have a boyfriend in Rosewood!" I said as I stomped my foot.

Suddenly I had what I thought was a brilliant idea. I plopped down on the stone bench and was followed by Izzie. I curled my finger at her motioning for her to get closer.

"Want to know the real reason I'm here?" I whispered. She nodded.

"I dated my teacher!" I giggled, slipping her drink out of her hand and sipping it.

"I didn't just _date_ my teacher. I was in _love_ with my teacher. _For real_! We were almost living together."

"Aria..." Izzie said, clearly sober now.

"What? I told you I had an older boyfriend my parents didn't like!"

I saw Jake tap a song on iTunes and Andy Grammer's "Keep Your Head Up" started playing.

Izzie kept babbling about something, but all I could do was keep my eyes on Jake. He was making his way back over the seats to get to me with two drinks in his hand. Izzie took this as a cue for me to leave.

"Cuz you gotta keep your head up, oh oh. You can let your hair down, yeah yeah. I don't know the words, but I try..." he sang. I giggled like a schoolgirl.

He handed me a drink and I thanked him, suddenly shy to be around him. He took a sip and turned around and looked at our peers. "This is awesome."

"It's definitely something..." I said, not quite sure what to make of my new social circle.

"Jake, she needs to go home," Izzie yelled over the music.

"Awww, okay. I'll take her," he complied. She started to argue the point, but he said something to her I didn't quite hear and she conceded.

"WE ARE THE KINGS OF CAMPUS!" he yelled to the crowd before stepping to the ground. Everyone ignored the drunken idiot.

Suddenly, he slipped and fell!

"Oh my god! Jake! Are you okay!" I shrieked as I hopped over the stone seat and crouched beside him.

He was unconscious and I was panicking, slowly sobering up. I slapped his face a few times and he started to come around. His beautiful brown eyes fluttered open and it wasn't until that moment that I realized how close our faces were. I didn't realize how _on top_ of him I was either. My legs were straddling his waist and my chest was against his. My hands were on either side of his face (trying to wake him up), and our lips were mere inches from each other.

My breathing became shallow and my heart started to pound pretty hard. His eyes were locked with mine and I was painfully aware of how aroused we both were. Jake reached his hand to the back of my head and pulled me down into a kiss so passionate we could've used a room. All I could think was how lucky were that no one could see us, especially Izzie. She would disapprove considering all the beans I just spilled. We broke away and I was shaking with adrenaline.

"Wow..." I whispered. "

Yeah..." he whispered back.

I jumped off him and stood up immediately straightening my clothes and hair. Jake jumped up and moment later and did the same. We gave each other an awkward look and then looked around to see if anyone was looking. Shelby was making out with Chase and Izzie was dancing around with Phoebe along with all the other party people.

I looked at him and said, "So, um, do you want to walk me back to my dorm room?"

"Yeah!" he said, barely letting me finish.

We scurried away from the group before anyone saw us leaving together. He caught me staring at him and shot me a mischievous grin. I took this as an invitation to pull him towards me as my back hit a tree and I was pinned by his gorgeous body. He leaned down and kissed me softly, holding my face with one hand and running his other hand through my hair and down my back. He slowly slid his tongue into my mouth and I opened for him as he deepened the kiss, tracing my lips with his tongue, caressing my tongue with his. His lips felt so good on mine. I wrapped my arms around him and he pulled me closer.

I ran my hands down his back and up his chest, and I felt all of his muscles and how strong he was and it turned me on so much that I wouldn't of cared if we did _it _right there. My hands found the little pearl buttons on his plaid flannel and I hastily began to unbutton his shirt. I got about halfway down his chest when his hands steadied mine and he finally pulled away. We were both so breathless that it took him a minute to ask if I wanted to go to my dorm and all I could do was nod.

We hurried to my building and down the hall until we reached my door. He pushed me against it and pressed his lips against mine. My lips blindly searched for him, kissing his temple and traveling down the length of his face as my hand began to roam over and under his shirt, finger tips grazing the inside of his waistband.

I travelled back up his abdomen and finished unbuttoning the little pearls. I flared the shirt open so I could feel all of his perfect body. His soft lips found mine, over and over until he delved his tongue through my lips, igniting the butterflies in my stomach. I could feel them sending heat from my belly to the delicate parts residing beneath my shirt. My tongue pushed harder against his and I felt his bodyweight shift forward, pressing fully against me.

My legs parted, one moving over his so I can feel his hardened cock press against me. His lips leave mine and travel down the length of my neck, teeth grazing the base of it sending jolts of electricity through my entire being.

A barely audible moan escaped me as I search for the door knob to my room. I finally found the round brass and turned it. I smiled into our kiss when Jake's hands pulled me into him by my ass. It felt good to act like a teenager. I pushed open the door and stumbled backwards. Jake came barreling in after me and tackled me to the bed. I burst into laughter as his lips brushed up and down my neck.

I pushed his shirt off of his shoulders and I moved my lips to his neck and began to suck. I left a sizable love bite and pulled back to revel in my work. He started to unbutton my shirt. When he finished, he bent down and kissed my belly button down to the waist of my jeans. His hands were working on the button when an awkward cough came from the other side of the room.

Jake and I jumped apart. I garbed a pillow to hide my indecency and Jake pulled his shirt back on. Hollie and Jason were quite tangled in her bed sheets.

"I am _so _sorry!" I said sincerely embarrassed by our scene.

"Oh my god, no. I'm sorry!" She said back, equally embarrassed.

"I am going to head back to my room, Aria..." Jake said, kissing my cheek and heading out quickly followed by Jason.

I watched them leave and as I did, I realized the magnitude of what had gone down tonight. Suddenly, everything had changed.


	5. The Morning After

**Hey guys! I usually don't update this fast (as I'm sure you know), but I felt bad that a lot of you didn't like what I did with the last chapter. That's totally fine not to like it (and I'm glad you guys told me) and you were all very constructive and considerate in your reviews. I just wanted to address a few things...**

**1) Jesse vs. Jake: Two things happened there. When I was writing this, I was watching Pitch Perfect (one of my favorite movies) so I decided to use the name Jesse as Aria's "love interest" (I will address this next). Then when I found out her new love interest on the show was named Jake, I went through and tried to change all the Jesses to Jakes. I guess I missed a couple and I'm sorry for that.**

**2) Aria's Love Life: As you will see in the next few chapters, Jake is not going away. However, as you will also see, Aria has not truly moved on. I decided to have her little tryst with Jake in the last chapter to start her emotional downward spiral. She almost slept with Jake because she was drunk and lonely and her attitude about life was just fuck everything. Jake is kind of like that guy that you are really good friends with and whom you start dating because you are sad and lonely and he is there. You think you love him and in theory he is the perfect guy, but in the back of your head there is always something missing. I'm sorry if you thought she was moving on too fast, but let me assure you, that is very far from the truth.**

**3) Pitch Perfect: I had always planned an A Capella piece for this story. I wanted to incorporate Lucy's passion for singing into Aria. That's why, when I was writing the party scene, a lot of it was inspired by Pitch Perfect. I'm sorry if you felt like it didn't work. I'm going to try harder to make this story something you guys want to read. Duly noted that movie references are out.**

**4) Amazon Fanfiction: This is unrelated to my story, but I wanted to talk to you guys about a new development on Amazon called Kindle Worlds. Authors can submit their fanfictions (only for The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars at the moment) and collect 35% of the the total profit. These "novellas" will be sold as e-books for anywhere from .99 cents to 3.99. I strongly urge you guys not to participate in this blasphemy. Fanfiction is for the fans. It is a free, creative outlet for us to wonder "what if". How dare Amazon try to make money off of this and us! It concerns me that this will affect the state of our community on FanFiction. If Amazon is making bank, what's to stop FanFiction from cashing in and making us start paying to post?! I urge you to protest Amazon's idiotic new endeavor. Don't buy these "novellas" and don't sell your stories. Take back what is rightfully ours!**

**I hope you guys like what I've done next. I hadn't originally planned the first part of this chapter, but after the catastrophe of last chapter, I decided it was necessary. A lot happens in this chapter so please review!**

I woke up the next morning with a headache and dizziness. Last night was fuzzy, but I knew I'd made some _horrible_ mistakes. I grabbed my phone from my table and saw it was almost noon and I had 14 unread text messages and a handful of missed calls. Most of them were from Jake. A few were from Izzie. I opened those first.

None of her texts were very detailed. They all basically said they needed to talk about what I'd told her last night and it was important. I couldn't possibly think of anything I'd told her that would warrant such a response.

I moved on to the texts from Jake. They were mostly the same as Izzie's. they said we needed to talk, it was important, he was sorry. Unfortunately, that part of the night was _crystal_ clear.

I groaned and threw my phone to the foot of my bed. I covered my face with my hands before slowly sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the bed. Time to start mending fences.

I took a quick shower and felt a bit better. I slid on some skinny jeans and a Hollis sweatshirt Spencer had given me for Christmas. She's such a dork. She got us all college gear last year. Emily got Darby sweatpants and Hanna got a Parsons tote bag. I wish it was Ezra's tattered and worn crew neck, but those days were behind me.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered to him as if he could hear me. "I'm _so_ sorry..."

Tears escaped me as I thought about my actions last night. I was so ashamed and guilty. Was it cheating since we didn't really break up? It felt like cheating.

I brushed my teeth and took two aspirin before leaving the room and searching for a coffee cart. I pulled out my phone and shot a text to Izzie first.

**_I'm going to get coffee. Meet in the courtyard? xx Ar_**

Then I sent a text to Jake.

_**Just woke up. Meet up later to talk?**_

I locked the phone as I arrived at the cart. I debated what I wanted, settling on my usual cappuccino. As I waited for the coffee I got a text back from them both with a simple okay.

The barista handed me my coffee and I handed her four bucks. I took a long sip and felt instantly better. Coffee cured everything. Everything but a broken heart. I walked over to a bench in the courtyard and took a seat. A few minutes later I saw Izzie enter the far side of the garden. I stood up and waved my hands to get her attention. She snapped to attention when she saw me and quickly made her way to my bench. She looked so concerned.

When she reached me she threw her arms around me and pulled me into a right hug. I was taken aback.

"Uh, Iz? Is everything okay?" I asked tentatively.

"Aria, I'm _so_ sorry!" She said sincerely before pulling into another rib-crushing hug.

"Uh, that's okay... Why?" I asked.

She pulled away and wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "I should've taken you back to the room myself! I should've let you talk more! I should've been more understanding!"

"Iz. I have _no_ idea what you are talking about..." I said honestly.

She face paled a little. "Aria... You told me the real reason you were sent here..."

"Wait what?! What did I tell you, _exactly_?" I panicked.

"You told me you fell in love with your teacher. You told me he loved you back and you were living together."

I felt a tightness in my chest. "Iz, you _cannot_ tell anyone. I'm serious."

"Of course. But can I ask a few questions?" She asked tentatively.

"Of course. I dumped this on you in a drunken stupor. You must have a million questions."

"Yeah..." She laughed. We took a seat on the bench and she began.

"So, how did you two meet?"

"The day before my first day of junior year, I had just moved back from Iceland-"

"You lived in Iceland?!" She exclaimed.

"Uh, yeah. That's a whole other story. Long story short, my best friend was kidnapped. It took them a year to find her body."

"You're not an average girl are you?" Izzie asked in awe.

"No. I suppose not. So it was the day before school started and I had dropped my brother off for lacrosse practice. I was hungry and I decided to go to this bar and grille called Snookers for a burger. I saw a missing persons flyer for my friend and a lot of memories came rushing back. Ezra - that's his name, Ezra - saw me looking sad and he asked if I was okay. We started chatting and discovered we had a lot in common. He told me he had just finished up school and was started his first teaching job. I told him I'd like to teach. I told him I was leaning towards an English major. We bonded over a song that was being played in the bar. _Happiness_ by The Fray. He knew the jukebox number for it; B26. He published a poem about me called B26. I was _his_ B26. One thin led to another and we were making out in the ladies room. The next day I went to school like normal and he was my first period English teacher."

"Wow. That's some epic romance shit right there," Izzie said amazed.

"Yeah, we'll, it was never easy. We broke up twice. The first time he was trying to fight this attraction. Then we had a stupid fight when his brother kissed me. I had a lot of insecurities early on, but finally we just got to this place where we knew that no matter what, our love was real. It was then that I started spending every spare moment in his apartment. I told my parents I was sleeping over at a friend's house. I spent afternoons there. _Literally_ every spare moment. I had drawers and toiletries. I even grocery shopped for him because that poor guy could not stock a kitchen to save his life." I paused I laugh, thinking about the first time I made him dinner. My special enhanced macaroni and cheese.

"And the sex?" She asked with a grin.

"Amazing." We both laughed and laughed and laughed as I gave her the gory details of our sex life. Something about her made me so at ease. Maybe because she reminded me of my friends. We caught our breath and I let the sinking feeling I'd had since I'd walked into my house wash back over me.

"So what happened?" She asked quietly.

"Life," I said simply. "A couple days before I got here was our one year anniversary. It was perfect. We loved each other so much it hurt. I came home to find my parents and my principal in my living room. Some anonymous source provided... _evidence_... that we had been intimate. Ezra would've lost his job. I am of age and they couldn't prove when we had been intimate together and he wasn't my teacher anymore so really this just didn't look good for the school board. No illegal activity could've been proven. I know how much Ezra loves teaching and he is so good at it. I told my parents and the principal that I would leave immediately, without contacting Ezra, if they left him alone. Everyone agreed. So I packed up, wrote him a letter that my friend gave him, and I moved here."

I finished up and let Izzie soak it all in.

"That's a crazy story. I'm so sorry that happened. I could tell you were heartbroken after you told us you'd just recently broken up with someone. After hearing that whole story, I'm surprised you haven't been watching _Dirty Dancing_ and eating your weight in Ben & Jerry's ice cream."

"I probably would've been watching _It Happened One Night_, but other than that, you're dead on. Under different circumstances, that's _exactly_ what I would've done. I _have_ done that. But this is for the best and I can't let myself fall apart."

"I understand. Your secret is safe with me. Listen, I've got to go. I'll see you back at the room later?"

I nodded and she kissed my cheeks before leaving. I opened my phone and sent a text to Jake asking him to meet me here. Almost immediately I got a text saying he'd be there in a moment.

I saw him emerge a minute later and walk over to me. I stood up awkwardly to meet him. We engaged in an uncomfortable hug before sitting back down.

"So..." He drawled.

I nodded. "So..."

After another minute of uncomfortable silence I apologized. "I am sorry about last night. I was drunk and sad and missing my boyfriend. You've been so sweet to me. You didn't deserve that."

"It takes two to tango, Aria. I am equally responsible. I'm not going to lie, I like you. I _really_ like you, but you need space and I get that. Just know that I'll be waiting for you when you are ready," he said sweetly.

"I'm not the girl to wait for, Jake."

"I'm going to wait anyway. In the meantime, friends?" He asked offering his hand.

I shook it and confirmed, "Friends."

**One Year Later:**

I woke up Monday morning with a wicked hangover. _Perfect_ I thought. _Just the way I want to start my first day of classes._ I rolled out of bed and walked over to the Kuerig. I popped in a cup and waited for it to pour. Once it was done I popped in another and started to add cream to the first. When the second cup was done I pulled it out and froze. The actions were too familiar. I had made coffee for Ezra and I the way I had been doing every morning since I'd started staying over at the apartment I used to call 'ours'. I felt a tightness in my chest, which I hadn't felt in a year, as I just stood there like an idiot staring at the coffee cups.

Hollie came up behind me, sleepy and pissed about her hangover as well. I snapped out of my haze and handed her the second coffee. I drank Ezra's.

"Bless you!" She said as she took the coffee and gulped it down black.

"No problem," I said quietly.

I went back to my bed and set down my mug. I grabbed my towel from the hook and went to shower. It probably took me twice as long to shower than it should've. I got out of the bathroom and went to get dressed. I pulled out a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a plain white tank top. I towel dried my hair (the way Ezra used to like it). Then I made a decision that may be painful, but necessary. I pulled out the only article of Ezra's clothing I had brought with me: his hunter green oversized sweater.

I glanced over at the closet and I could see my Ezra box peeking out the top. I hadn't looked in it since Emily had sent it to me when I first moved. It would've been too painful to relive the memories. The sweater was hard enough.

* * *

_"Ezra!" I squealed as he pulled me out onto the New York sidewalk from the dry safe haven of the awning._

_"It is pouring!" I noted._

_"So what? You're beautiful when you're wet," Ezra retorted as he wrapped his arms around my petite waist._

_"Mr. Fitz!" I gasped._

_"What?" He asked innocently._

_"There are children around!" I said, playfully hitting his shoulder._

_"Not that kind if wet, but I do like that one too..." He whispered in my ear._

_We looked into each other's eyes an he slowly leaned and pressed his lips to mine. It took my breath away. We pulled apart and a boom of thunder erupted in the sky causing me to jump into my boyfriend's arms. He laughed at me and suggested we run to his car. Once we were in the comfort of his car I realized just how cold I was._

_"Are you okay?" Ezra asked me worried._

_"Yeah. Just cold," I assured him._

_Ezra reached into the back seat and pulled out a green sweater. He handed it to me and I quickly pulled it on. It felt like perfection. I inhaled his scent and closed my eyes._

_"Happy?" He smiled at me._

_"You do realize you are never getting this sweater back right?"_

_"Nothing would make me happier than to know you are wearing that sweater when we are apart."_

* * *

"Aria!"

I whipped around to see Hollie, Izzie, and Phoebe at the door ready to go to our first class.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

I grabbed my bag and caught up to them. I was so out of it. Of course school had to start on my anniversary. I wonder if Ezra has moved on. I wonder if he's married. I wonder if he's happy.

"Hey babe!" I heard from behind me. Jake swooped in and have me a chaste kiss to my temple before wrapping his arm around me.

"Hey..." I said absentmindedly.

"Hellooooo? Earth to Aria?" Jake laughed.

"Sorry. I'm kind of out of it this morning."

"That's okay. Well, I have to get to history. See you after class," he said as he dropped me off in my first class of the day and headed to the room next door.

"Absolutely," I called after him, faking a smile.

Jake was a great guy. He was so considerate. My parents nearly keeled over when I brought him home the first time. We have been dating about 5 months now and, for all intents and purposes, he is the "perfect" guy. He understands me in the most basic if ways. He respects my space, doesn't pry, and is very respectable. All my single friends are jealous that he chose me, but I couldn't feel less ordinary! On the surface our relationship seems perfectly fine. He says all the right things to me and my friends and my parents, but I miss that passion you feel when it is 2 am and you are having a screaming match. I miss that movie moment when you fall silent and he just grabs your waist and pulls you into the most heart wrenching, passionate kiss you've ever had. I miss the serendipity of being pulled into the rain and kissed like your lives depended on it. I miss that feeling of being so in love that your whole world stops when you see or feel or smell the love if your life! That's the way I loved Ezra.

Jake is dependable (not that Ezra wasn't). He's charming and endearing (all things that Ezra was). But that spark of fire that ignites in your soul because you're so in love with someone just is not there. Jake was only those things. Ezra was _everything_ and more.

Hollie and Phoebe waved goodbye to Izzie and I as we entered our first period together. Creative writing. My heart broke just thinking about it. I hadn't willingly read a book since I'd left Rosewood let alone sat down to write anything!

"Aria!" Izzie whisper-yelled at me, clearly trying to get my attention for the umpteenth time.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"What is with you today?" She whisper-yelled back to me.

"I'm just off. I hate the first day of school..." I mumbled lamely.

"What are you talking about? You're the nerdiest hot girl I know!" Izzie retorted.

"It's just-" but before I could finish what I was about to say the teacher walked into the room.

"Welcome seniors. My name is William Jackson. That is Mr. Jackson to you all."

We all laughed; they all laughed. I sat here reliving the life I once had.

"This is creative writing and I like to start every year off with a speaker. I want to introduce my students to a young contemporary author to serve as an inspiration to you all. This young man is a former student of mine from back in my Hollis years..."

My head snapped up. Hollis. Writer. Young. It couldn't be...

"...This young man is a former teacher..."

My heart began to race. I glanced at Izzie. She casually looked back at me and squinted as of to ask me what I was flipping out about.

"...His debut novel is a New York Times best seller about a student and a teacher who fall in love..."

The blood rushed to my face. I looked back at Izzie who now recognized the panic in my eyes.

"...Please welcome Mr. Ezra Fitz, here to talk about his novel _State Of Grace_."

It was then that my entire world stopped. _Literally_. I got tunnel vision as he walked across the front of the classroom, waving and smiling. My breathing became heavier as he turned to face the class. White noise filled my ears. Finally, he saw me. Everything was silent and all I could hear was the reminiscent _Holy Crap_ that dropped from his lips. Then, just as suddenly, everything came rushing back and there was cheering. No one had heard him utter those heavy words. No one noticed the shock on his face. No one, but Izzie and me.

The crowd died down and Ezra took a seat on the stool.

"Hello everyone! It's, uh, great to see you all here. Just as a show of hands, how many people have heard of my book or read it?" He asked us. A little more than half of the class raised there hands.

"Okay, great. Well, for those of you who haven't, it is about a newly graduated young man, Evan Fitzgerald, who falls in love with a girl, Ariana Monterey, whom he meets in a bar. Later they realize they are student and teacher."

Instantly, a dozen hands are raised. He started calling on them one by one. This was going to be a long, hard, painful period.

"Yes, Miss...?"

"Lydia Argent," Lydia replied.

Lydia was the sluttiest girl in school. Let me start by saying that I am very anti slut-shaming. There is nothing wrong with sex or having a lot of it. I define a slut as someone who has a lot of sex, advertises it in a way that she seems to think makes her better than everyone else, and is a total bitch.

"Miss Argent, what is your question?" Era asked.

She leaned over a bit and squished her breasts together. I scoffed. As if Ezra would fall for that.

"You use to be a teacher, _right_?" She asked in a voice she thought was sultry.

"Yes. Is that your question?" He said confused.

"No. I was wondering how much truth there was to this story. Like would you ever date a student?"

Ezra paled a bit and glanced at me. I slid lower into my seat. He cleared his throat and said, "I would never cross a line like that. I would never knowingly date a girl I knew to be underage as well as a student of mine."

Ezra looked at me and then ducted his eyes as tears threatened to spill over. I turned away. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I slowly slid it out and saw I had a message from Izzie. I opened it up, but I already knew what it said.

**_That's him isn't it? xo Iz_**

I looked up to make sure my teacher wasn't looking. He was so enthrall ex with Ezra's insight on his book that he wouldn't have noticed if I jumped up on the desk and done a little dance.

_**Yeah... xo Ar**_

I looked up. Ezra was answering a question about his poem, B26. I felt a tightness in my chest. I felt like I was dying.

_**Are you okay? xo Iz**_

I laughed to myself.

_**I am so far from okay, I'm not even in the same zip code. xo Ar**_

I turned my attention back to Ezra. He called on a girl in the front row, whose name I didn't know.

"Why didn't Evan walk away in the first place?" She asked. "He was the adult. He should've known better."

I scoffed. She knew nothing about our love. It killed me to hear all these idiots ask questions about _my_ relationship.

"You are all very young. I don't mean that in a condescending or pretentious way either. I just mean that you have your whole life to fall in love. Not everyone meets their soulmate at sixteen. Can I see a show of hands of how many of you can _honestly_ say you've met your soulmate?" Ezra asked.

I fought with myself, wondering if I should raise my hand or not. Ultimately, I've hurt Ezra enough. I can do this for him. For myself, too. I wasn't going to lie. I let my hand float above my head. I, however, was the only one to raise their hand.

"Miss...?" Ezra asked pretending he hadn't seen me naked or given me flowers or massaged my feet. As if he hadn't thrust me against the door of the ladies room in a dingy college bar not fifteen minutes after meeting me, pushing his tongue past my lips and setting my skin on fire.

"Montgomery. Aria Montgomery."

"Miss Montgomery, you feel comfortable in the assessment that you have met your soulmate?" He asked, already knowing my answer.

"Yes. I have met him," I answered confidently.

"Pretend you are Ariana and this person you are referring to is Evan. Would it bother you that he was your teacher and your relationship was taboo?"

I felt a lump forming in my throat. How was I supposed to sit here and pretend I wasn't head over heels in love with this man?

"No. It wouldn't. Love cannot be defined by age or contract. You cannot limit love. If I was in love with my teacher and he was in love with me, I wouldn't care. My priority would be spending every waking moment with him. Nothing could make me walk away except a threat to his well being. When my love gets in the way of his life, that's when I would walk away."

Ezra and I stared at each other for what seemed like forever, but in reality was only a few seconds, until the bell rang. I jumped in my seat.

"I'll see you later, Iz," I said pointedly, letting her know I was staying behind. I ripped out a piece of paper and wrote directions to one of the hidden passages. Once everyone had left the room I approached Ezra.

"Ar-" he tried to say, but I stopped him.

"I can't. I don't have time." I handed him the directions. "Meet me here at 11."

I walked out of the room into the crowded hall. I saw my friends gathered in a group. I heard Jake call out my name lovingly, but I ignored him. I just ran to my room. I would tell my teachers I was sick tomorrow. After all, I was. _Love_ sick.


	6. The Reunion

**Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates on all my stories. My mom had pretty serious surgery and she can't walk or do anything for a month. I've been taking care of her. She is fine, but can't do anything for herself. I'll try and do better with my updates! I'll also be combining Taboo Lovers and She Likes It Like That into one story called "Holy Palmers' Kiss". Please review it! I hope you like the Ezria fluff! Sorry if it is a bit short! I am trying to do a lot of updates right now.**

Around 10:30 I decided it was time to put on my big girl panties and meet Ezra. However, I needed to fix myself up. No matter how I looked he would probably tell me I'm beautiful if he doesn't already hate me, but I wanted to look nice for him. I stripped down to my lace thong and demi bra while I peered into my closet. I settled on a free people slip in deep purple with lace and velvet accents. It ended in excess fold of fabric above my shins. I paired it with a leather motorcycle jacket and distressed leather boots.

I layered a few chains around my neck, brushed through my waves, and touched up my makeup. I looked in the mirror feeling like I was missing something. My eyes glazed over the box in my closet and I knew what was missing. I walked over to the closet and pulled out my Ezra box for the first time since receiving it. I pushed the top aside and lifted up a satchel with jewelry he'd given me in it. I tugged on the drawstrings and they gave out. I dumped the contents on my bed. I dug through the pile of metal until I found what I was looking for.

I slipped the antiquated silver band onto my right ring finger. The band was decorated or stamped with flowers and embedded with a single diamond at the center. On the inside Ezra had engraved "B-26. Always & Forever." He had given it to me for my birthday. He got down on one knee and fake proposed to me. He said it was a pre-engagement ring because he couldn't imagine his life without me. I smiled at the memory.

I gathered my bag and headed out to meet Ezra. I was turning a corner when I ran straight into Jake. I fell back on my ass and sprawled on the floor.

"Aria!" Jake gasped as he knelt down to help me up.

I felt a lump in my throat forming with every word he spoke to me. My world was spinning and I just wanted to get away from him. I felt stupid that I even needed to get away from him. I had no business dating him and this was the first time I was being honest with myself about it.

"Jake!" I yelled, interrupting him.

He looked taken aback by my rude outburst. I was fuming, but he didn't deserve it. For all he knew, I was hopelessly devoted to him. I couldn't live a lie anymore.

"Are you okay?" He asked tentatively and confused.

"No I'm not," I said matter-of-factly. "I can't do this anymore," I said motioning between us.

Shock washed over his face. "Where is this coming from?"

"It's coming from me. I had no business entering into this relationship with you. I wasn't ready and we both knew it. I'm sorry." I blew past him, leaving him standing there angry and fuming.

I made my way to the secret hallway and slipped inside. It was pretty dark, il but I could see a man a few feet away. I moved a bit closet to confirm it was Ezra. I could make out the familiar curl of his floppy hair. I tapped his shoulder and felt him tense up.

I stepped back to give him some space. He turned around and faced me, though I could ink make out his silhouette. There was an extremely awkward silence before he spoke.

"I wish I could see your face..." He said in no more than a whisper.

"Oh!" I squeaked. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I turned on the flashlight and held it between us. His face and mine were lit up, but clearly visible to one another.

I felt myself take in a sharp breath. His features were soft. I wasn't expecting that. I really thought he would hate me. He eyes were full of desire and nostalgia. His mouth was soft and inviting, parted only slightly. His hair was shorter than when I left him and combed properly, but it was still dark and curly. He was Ezra.

"God, I missed you," he exhaled before taking one long stride towards me and wrapping me up in his arms.

His lips met mine and immediately slipped his tongue into my mouth. I was shocked for a moment before kissing him back with all my pent up desire and pain and longing from the past year. He turned me and pushed me up against the old wall. I flashed back to when we first met and he had me on the counter. I felt his hands roaming my thighs, tugging them up. I allowed him to wrap my legs around his waist. I felt him press me harder against he wall, his manhood hard against my damp core. I moaned deeply and broke away for a breath. His lips moved to my jawline and my neck, but never left my skin.

"I've missed you, too..." I groaned.

I pulled his face back to my lips. He kissed me hard, his tongue massaging mine in a fight for dominance. I felt so safe and loved; safer and more loved than I had since arriving at this godforsaken school. I don't know how long we were like that, just together in the dark, but finally I pulled away.

We leaned our foreheads together while we gathered our composure. I dropped to my feet and straightened out my dress and hair. Ezra did the same. I turned to him when I was finished and just wrapped my arms around his chest and leaned into him. He did the same and placed loving kisses to the top of my head.

"What happened?" He murmured.

I tensed, but immediately relaxed. This was Ezra. There was nothing I couldn't tell him.

"This isn't something I can tell you hiding in an abandoned hallway in the dark," I told him.

"We have to talk about why you left eventually Aria..." He whispered.

"And we will. I want to. Just not here. There's a big party tonight. My roommates will be out. I'll pretend I'm sick so they'll leave me behind. Come to room 233 around 8 tonight. They should be done patrolling the halls by then," I instructed.

I needed to go. People would be looking for me. I stood on my toes to reach his lips and placed a quick kiss on his lips before heading out to leave. Just as I was about to slip out, Ezra grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"There's one more thing..." He said without looking at me.

"I was offered a position in the English department earlier this morning, before I knew about you... And I accepted."

I felt my world fall apart for the second time that day and this time it wasn't a good feeling. Ezra was back to being Mr. Fitz.


	7. An Author's Note Sorry

Hey guys! Don't get all excited because this isn't an update. Sorry!

I just wanted to address something I have been seeing in my reviews on two of my stories including this one and I couldn't let it go on any longer without saying something.

Review #1 from _State of Grace _from an anon named (appropriately) "A":

"You're a bitch you know that surely will sell as a prostitute for a few cents, or you do free fucking sex addict you sleep with a man every hour difererente know because I've read all your stories and only a whore would write all these things you must have AIDS, syphilis and herpes all sexually transmitted diseases filthy fucking whore I hate your life is disgusting and pathetic."

Review #2 from _Holy Palmers' Kiss_ from an anon named Guest:

"I'm always curious to know you do all those things you write in your stories you love sex if so seek help from a professional because you're a slut urgent need psychological help because then you'll end up with a sexually transmitted disease."

The first thing I want to say is something I have been saying since I entered on to this site. I believe that if you are old enough to be using the internet, then you are old enough to know how to use proper grammar. I mean _honestly_. It just makes you look stupid. And I know not everyone is perfect, but it is easy to tell when someone was just typing too fast and when they are literally just an ignorant little shit. LEARN HOW TO USE PROPER GRAMMAR!

The next thing, and the really serious issue here, is people's stereotype of who they think I am. I write smut. I'm not going to argue that point. It is a fact. I write about sex in almost all of my stories. I do that because when you are in a serious relationship (in the way Aria and Ezra are), sex is a huge part of your relationship for the most part. I like fan fiction because I get to write their relationship in a real and honest way. PEOPLE HAVE HOT AND KINKY SEX WHEN THEY ARE IN LOVE! DEAL WITH IT!

I have noticed that people think I am this slore (slut/whore) who has sex with random guys and has a ton of STDs and multiple abortions a month. I would like to clear this up right now. I never thought I would have to defend myself, but here I go. I am a virgin, I'll have you know. I am 19 years old and I am a virgin. This isn't because I don't believe in sex before marriage or because I'm "not ready". I haven't had sex because I have ever been in a long term or committed relationship. I think that once I am in a loving and trusting relationship I will try all these different things I write about. I read romance novels and watch HBO. I read other smut stories on here (Ezria . Lovers . Forever is the shit). Hell, I've seen a porno. It's not like I watch porn, but I think everyone should see it at least once in their life (which is the column I fall into; one time only). I am open to the concept of sex. I do not have any STDs. I am pro-choice. I believe we are sexual creatures and I am not ashamed of that and you shouldn't be either. I don't know what our generation's obsession with slut shaming is, but it needs to stop NOW. If you don't like my stories, THEN DON'T FUCKING READ THEM. SHUT THE FUCK UP AND SIT DOWN.

Thank to all my supporting readers for not judging me or shaming me for accepting that sex is part of life. I will continue to write my stories the way I want. Thank you for your continued support.

Love Always,

A Girl Named Sydney


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